All the Canary Islands They are a group of Spanish islands that are in the Atlantic and that make up one of the many autonomous regions that this country has. There are a total of seven main islands and they are located in North Africa, near Morocco and just over 900 kilometers from the European continent.
Here in the island La Palma is the Caldera de Taburiente National Park. It is a beautiful and protected area for its biological importanceSo if you like nature a lot and you plan to go to the islands this summer, you cannot miss it. Here we leave you information.
Caldera de taburiente
It is in the very center of the island La Palma, an island with around 709 thousand square kilometers of surface and little more than 80 thousand inhabitants. Its capital is Santa Cruz de La Palma and for 16 years the entire island has been a Biosphere Reserve according to UNESCO.
The Caldera de Taburiente National Park is famous for containing the largest volcanic crater in the world. Yes, you read that right. It's huge. This depression is located at an altitude of between 600 and 700 meters and it is eight kilometers in diameter and up to one and a half deep, but the crest around the crater is more than 2400 meters at its highest point. Something worth seeing.
The origin of this huge crater is not, as you might think, the product of a terrible pyroplastic explosion. Unlike, the eruptions that originate this type of craters are rather quiets and lava happens again and again, enlarging the volcano on the surface more than in height. The level of the crater decreases and the cone grows and as the lava cools more the material that the volcano itself spews, they generate a situation in which either everything erupts or the lava spills through a gap.
This is what seems to have happened with the Taburiente, in which the lava ended up running off the upper edge, about two million years ago. This is explained by geologists who have spent years studying satellite images and the terrain itself, in which water is also very important. And is that La Palma it is an island with many streams, rivers, waterfalls and streams. The landscape, with such a combination, is really beautiful.
So, when visiting the park you will see everything: fountains, rivers, waterfalls and waterfalls. In general the waters are clean although there may be darker waters due to the geological characteristics of the terrain. The water makes precisely that there lots of vegetation so the spectacular cleft that is the crater is covered by pine forests, for example, of the Canarian pine species that withstands fire well. There's also rockrose, beeches, laurels, willows, ferns, greens, cedars.
Visit the Caldera de Taburiente National Park
Of all the national parks in the Canary Islands, four in total, according to statistics this it is the least visited park. But after seeing these photos, don't you just want to hang out there? Can you do night walks to gaze at the stars, can you do Hiking all over the island or take baths in waterfalls and rivers. There is everything to do outdoors.
La Cascade of Colors, located in the Barranco de las Angustias, is multicolored and is a tourist magnet. It is a semi-natural waterfall that is a bit hidden in this ravine and falls down a six meter high wall that shines in yellow, orange and green tones as a result of iron, algae and mosses. There is also a great beach, the Taburient Beache, that although being a beach is far from the coast, inside the park.
It is a small beach of the Taburiente stream with many rocks that can be reached by a path, Los Brecitos, from the Camping Area. It is two hours of walking among the pines but it is worth it. Speaking of the camping is the only place you can stay in the park. It is free but you should book before. It is reached by a path of five and a half kilometers and there are wooden tables, toilets, showers and running water.
The park is a great place for hiking and the truth is that here you can only walk. That is why a network of roads with very good signage. You enter the park on the way The Brecitos, one hour from the town of Los Llanos de Ariadne or from La Cumbrecita viewpoint about a 15 minute drive to the El Paso visitor center.
This network has a long route that borders the Taburiente caldera and reaches the top of the island and another small group of trails that go through the ravines. You can also get the information within the camping area because there are security people there or even at the El Paso Visitor Center. If you like astronomy, the park is also a phenomenal place to contemplate the skies because it is inside the Roque de los Muchachos Astrophysical Observatory.
More than 10 instruments for daytime and nighttime observation at an altitude of 2400 meters that Unesco considers Astronomy Heritage. You can sign up for a guided tour of its interior. It is not far from the capital of the island, an hour and twenty by car and it is worth it because here is the world's largest optical telescopeor, called Grantecan.
Finally, a practical summary:
- the boiler is entered in three ways and in all of them you have to walk. The Brecitos It is the most common entry and takes 45 minutes, there is also the Barranco de las Angustias, which is usually more the exit than the entrance, it can be done first by car and then walking and the Cumbrecita trail It is the last possible entry but as it is difficult it is the least frequent.
- To fully enjoy it is advisable to stay the night and you can only do it with a tent. You must process a camping permit at the El Paso Visitor Center or at the office of the Environment Unit of the Cabildo Insular de La Palma. Calculate at least a week before. It's free.
- inside the park there are three information booths to stock up on maps, tips, and more.
- are recommended three routes within the park: Las Chozas, Los Andenes and La Desfondada
- check the weather status before going
- protect yourself from the cold, the sun and possible landslides
- Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear, as well as food and drink.